The Ohio Renaissance Festival is a fantastic Renaissance Festival where you could easily spend the entire day. There are 12 stages with 100+ shows, over 150 arts and crafts shops, all sorts of food and drink, games, costumes, and fun.
2023 DATES
September 2-4, 2023
September 9-10, 2023
September 16-17, 2023
September 23-24, 2023
September 30 – October 1, 2023
October 7-8, 2023
October 14-15, 2023
October 21-22, 2023
October 28-29, 2023
Location: 10542 East State Route 73
Waynesville, OH 45068
Website: https://renfestival.com/
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This post documents my experience on September 25, 2010.
O cometh, children, gather ’round
for I’ve a tale to share with thee
about a fest in Waynesville
where there is quite a bit to see….
And there is a lot to see at the Ohio Renaissance Festival, partially because it’s a different type of festival. Instead of taking place at the fairgrounds or in some city center…
…it takes place in a permanent village constructed on the festival’s 30 acres.
Tickets weren’t cheap (nearly $20 adult and $10 child), but it all becomes worth it once you realize…
…just how big and full this area was.
Consisting of three large areas divided by rivers and connected with bridges, the festival did its best to recreate a 16th century English village.
One of the ways it did this was through its attention to details throughout the festival grounds.
Modern conveniences were disguised…
…publicity kept a 16th century touch…
…Renaissance charm filled the gaps…
…and there were plenty of humorous things to enjoy…
…even if it got a little macabre at times.
Sticking with the Renaissance theme….
…the 130+ vendors lined the streets…
…with really inviting storefronts…
…and craftsmen who worked in front of you.
They sold anything that somehow involved or reflected the Renaissance theme, including…
…swords for adults and children…
…ocarinas and quilts…
…wolf art…
…elf ears…
…and even Sweetest Day gifts.
The food included dishes not exactly eaten in the 16th century….
…although their presentation made them a bit more acceptable.
One popular dish was the bread bowl…
…as well as the turkey leg, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
There were also local wines to try and other modern day cocktails…
…along with an olde pun on a well-known coffeehouse.
But what’s a Renaissance festival without entertainment?
With 12 stages on the grounds…
…including a Pirate Stage…
…there were many shows to take delight in.
But if comedy acts, swordsmen, singers, washing wenches, faerie tales, juggling, jousting, or classical literature performed in mud didn’t entertain you, you could also find…
…musical performers…
…an authentic medieval punishment device museum…
…a human chess match…
…camels…
…rides for the kids…
…and games galore.
The games took up almost a third of the festival, bringing interesting challenges to the festival goer. And they were fun to both watch or participate in (although a prize I saw was only a wooden token).
Some of the most interesting games were…
…archery, spear throwing…
…and Drench A Wench.
I’ve also included videos of….
. …the Axe Throw…
…and Vegetable Vengeance.
But all these things, no matter how great, would mean nothing if it weren’t for the people dressed in non-modern attire. Never had I seen such a collection of various type of people…
…swordsmen and soldiers…
…peasants and Scots…
…vikings…
…pirates…
…fairy elves…
…and even animal hide people.
Each and every one of these people made the festival come alive, interacting with others…
.…while moving about on their own….
…or in packs.
And with the various festival costume shops with clothing to rent, I contemplated the idea of dressing up myself. I even started to feel underdressed after 2 hours of being there.
But those feelings passed when I realized I had other festivals to attend that day.
I packed up my camera and headed toward the front gates…
…waving back to the Milwaukee’s Best Ice warrior as he basked in the admiration of his fans.